Trump to Meet With ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson Amid Secretary of State Rumors

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Donald Trump will meet with ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, transition officials said, as the Irving resident has reportedly come under consideration for secretary of state.Tillerson’s job interview comes after Trump’s transition team had previously said that the search had narrowed to four finalists: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, retired Gen. David Petraeus, and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.But in recent days, new candidates have emerged for the job -- including Tillerson, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va -- suggesting Trump has yet to be sold on a pick for the nation's top diplomatic post.Tillerson, who has spent more than four decades at Exxon, has led the oil and gas company since 2006. Exxon is the largest company headquartered in Texas and eighth largest company in the world by revenue.Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, Tillerson graduated from the University of Texas at Austin before joining Exxon as an engineer in 1975. Tillerson also serves as a trustee for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a member of the executive committee for the American Petroleum Institute, and a member of the Business Roundtable, a conservative group of major American business executives.A major Republican donor, Tillerson notably did not contribute to Trump’s presidential campaign. Together with his wife, Tillerson gave $80,000 to Romney in 2012 and thousands more to the Republican Party. After supporting Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign last fall, Tillerson directed most of his donations for this election cycle to House and Senate Republicans and the party organization, campaign finance records show.ExxonMobil did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the meeting.Trump’s transition team also announced that Ivanka Trump, the president-elect’s daughter, will meet Monday with former Vice President Al Gore to discuss climate issues.Ivanka Trump has said she wants to make climate change a personal focus during her father’s presidency. She will also reportedly be taking on a more prominent role in the family’s business while her father is in office.  Continue reading...